Photos: John Parkinson

PJ Larsen (12-37 for 17th)

Freestone was a disappointing weekend for PJ as he went 12-37 for 17th overall. Unlike the last couple of rounds where he worked his way through the field after some average starts, moto one saw Larsen unable to make any impact on the top guys. He ran inside the top ten early, but a crash left him fighting his way back trough the pack. He was able to muster a 12th, but was unable to make good on one of his best starts of the season. Moto two was even worse as it only lasted about 10 seconds – he sprained his wrist pretty badly in the first turn and is having it checked out this week. Hopefully he’ll be good to go for High Point next week in order to continue his impressive opening to 2009.

Steven Clarke (16-20 for 20th)

More points on the board for Clarke, but we're sure he's hoping for some larger numbers as the tour heads east. Whether it’s his machinery, fitness or the tracks, things haven’t been going to plan in the first three rounds. This week he had a good start in moto one but gradually dropped down the pack before being overtaken by countryman Max Anstie on the last lap to finish 16th. Then in the second moto he only started out in 24th, before working himself into the final points spot in 20th.
We are looking for improvement from Scuba as he gets back onto his preferred coast.

Max Anstie (15-10 for 12th)

A rider who has shown vast improvement is young Max Anstie. He scored points in both motos and earned his best finish of the season thus far with a 10th in the second moto. Anstie seems to be finding his feet after struggling initially and is now proving competitive in the series. It hasn’t exactly been the eye-opening entrance into the Pro ranks that Barcia has enjoyed, but the feeling is that by the end of the year his speed and stamina will have improved enough so that he is consistently fighting for top 10s. The jury is still out on this one, but one thing's for sure, the kid can roll for someone who was on an 85 this time last year.

Alex Martin (17-16 for 16th)

The Minnesota resident continued with his run of 16/17 finishes and although he’d no doubt like them to better, at least he’s consistently scoring points. Looking at the lap charts, it just seems that if he was able to get a good start once in awhile, those 16/17 results would be replaced by 10/11, or even lower. Martin impressively moved from 28th in the first moto to finish out in the 17th spot and backed that up by dicing his way from 23rd to 16th in the second moto.

Justin Barcia (35-26 for 31st)

After those amazing first couple of rounds, all eyes were on the #151 as the gate dropped at Freestone. Unfortunately for him, although he was 6th off the line, a crash on the first lap left him at the back of the field. He was able battle his way into the top 15 before a nasty crash saw him smack his head on the rich Texas soil harder than a watermelon being thrown from the 15th floor. This obviously affected his performance in moto two as he uncharacteristically started dropping positions from the second lap onwards, ending up in 26th place and without a point in the last three races. Once he recovers from this head injury and his on-going hand problem we suspect he’ll be in the hunt for that first win.

Blake Wharton (7-3 for 4th)

Besides his teammate Justin Barcia, Blake has been the most productive rookie on the track this season.  This week marked Wharton’s Texas homecoming and what a homecoming it was. His speed was there in moto 1, but an intense battle proved too much for the young Texan to handle. He finished an impressive 7th, but yearned for more. The second moto was a different story. He quickly moved into the number two spot behind teammate Trey Canard and fought for position with Ryan Dungey for a stint before being overtaken. He enjoyed a lonely race for the remainder of the moto despite nearly being tracked down by Christophe Pourcel. He was able to settle in behind Canard and Dungey for his best moto finish of the season and a fourth overall. With Barcia not earning any points in the last three motos, Wharton has found himself as the top rookie at the end of the first three rounds.

Ben Evans (19-17 19th)

Ben did really well the first two rounds but the Texas heat proved too much for the Idaho native to handle. He struggled off the line all weekend and was forced to work his way through a very talented pack. He did, however, manage to scrape together a few points in both motos (19-17 for 19th overall), but will undoubtedly be looking to improve next weekend in High Point.

Weston Peick (9-11/9th)

After much doubt as to his decision to skip out on the reminder of his final amateur season to turn pro, Weston Peick is really making a name for himself in the 450 class.  He showed up at Glen Helen and showed what he was made of, went to Hangtown and had bike problems, and showed back up in Texas ready to get down to business, and business got done.  Peick went head to head with some of the best in the world and didn't look out of place one time.  We were waiting to see if his results at his hometown track at Glen Helen were a fluke, and after this weekend the answer is clear.  He matched his overall at Glen Helen with another 9th at Freestone. This dude might be for real!

Kyle Regal (37-14 18th)

Regal decided to make his pro debut on his home turf, and had some high expectations after stating in an interview earlier this week that he was “hoping for a top ten.” While top ten may not be out of reach, the newest rookie of the season just found out how lofty that goal is.  Regal's downfall is his inconsistency to pull holeshots, but lucky for him 30 + 2 gives him plenty of time to get to work. In the first moto he once again got out of the gate a little slow, but was still looking strong.  He made a few solid moves and was running in the top 15 until he took a digger, which put him on the sidelines for his debut moto.  In the second moto Kyle once again found himself on the ground, this time on more than one occasion.  He continued to fight the good fight, however, and managed to finish out in an unsuspecting 14th, landing him an 18th overall on the day. Regal showed true grit in his debut, and if he can find a way to get off the gate and keep it on two wheels, this kid has what it takes to get the job done.

Darryn Durham (8-12 9th)

Durham has had a rough go of things thus far this season, but just when we thought he was going to be a washout, he showed up huge in Texas. Double D rode smart the first moto and put his Star Racing / Division 7 Yamaha inside the top 10, finishing 8th.  He worked his butt off to stay in front of his two teammates Broc Tickle and Matt Lemoine and put in a finish that we weren't sure he was capable of.  In the second moto he put in another solid performance by finishing 12th, which was good enough to give him 9th overall.  Hope has been restored for the Yamaha rookie, and just in time for his hometown debut at High Point.